2020 NFL Draft: Steelers Find Jordan Love in the Third-Round?
PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers are somewhat expected to draft a quarterback during the 2020 NFL Draft. After a year without Ben Roethlisberger and the struggles of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges, Pittsburgh doesn't have much ground to stand on when it comes to feeling secure about the depth at the QB position.
So, with free agency being over for them, their next option is the NFL Draft. Fortunately, it's a class loaded with quarterbacks and many will find themselves slipping due to the congestion of talent in the first three-rounds.
Where do they find one? According to Sports Illustrated's Shawn Childs, the Steelers select fifth-ranked quarterback, Jordan Love, in the third-round.
With the 102nd pick in the draft, Pittsburgh is able to find their backup quarterback competition with the Utah State star who finished his final season with 3,402 yards and 20 touchdowns.
His stock was trending up after his sophomore season (3,567 passing yards and 39 combined TDs). Love saw his yards per pass attempt fall from 8.6 to 7.2 in 2019.
Love comes to the NFL with size (6’4” and 225 lbs.) and a strong arm. He’ll make easy deep throws with a flick of his wrist. At times, he has a looker feel as he waits for a player to break open. I expect him to have success if given time to throw and surrounded by talented receivers. His decision making and reads need improvement while owning some concern with his accuracy.
I don’t like the way he slides in the pocket on some rollout passes, leading to a longer transition time to unload the ball. Love will struggle to break free from a tight pocket under pressure while lacking the release to get the ball out quickly and on time.
The Steelers are likely to draft a quarterback and the third-round seems to be the hot spot when it comes to finding one. Love and Rudolph competing for the backup role would bring a ton of energy to the preseason for Pittsburgh, and add some security incase something was to happen to Roethlisberger again.
So, quarterback is complete. Now, what to do they find with the rest of the NFL Draft?
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